Double Blind
by gyikhu
Summary: Kurtis appears in Lara's life again after six months. What does he want and what's the big surprise that awaits Lara when she decides to see him?
1. Chapter 1

**Hi folks! I'm back in writing some short story again in between. Just to try something new again :) I realised I have never written anything with Kurtis so far, so here it goes. I hope I manage to surprise you a little bit. So far that's it what I have ready from the story, so you need to let me know again if it's worth to go on and how :)**

**I'm curious what you think of this, so let me know if you feel like you want a continuation!**

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"Where did this letter come from?" – Lara asked curiously looking through the envelops Winston gave her.

„I am sorry, Lady Croft, but I have no information about that" – her butler answered. „It was lying in front of the door when I picked up the post in the morning."

_Very interesting_ – Lara thought ambling towards the stairs with the letter in her hands. She left everything else on the table next to the fireplace. This letter on the other side piqued her interest. There was no sender on it, only a hand-written address. She walked into her study and dropped down in one of the comfortable armchair, throwing her legs over the arm-rest. After examining the letter from every side, Lara decided to open it. When she pulled out the piece of paper and read the short message on it, she was glad she was sitting.

_I need to see you. 25 Courtney Road. 2 pm, Thursday._

_Kurtis_

That was all written on the paper and Lara's eyes widened in surprise. For a moment she didn't know if she was shocked, angry or happy about hearing from him. It had been six months since she was back from Prague and ever since she had not heard of him. Not since she found him lying on the ground outside the Strahov, a huge puddle of blood around him. Lara didn't know what to think. Why did he want to see her? What did all this mean now? Why so suddenly? She read the message again not wanting to believe what she was seeing. Hmm.. she thought to herself pondering. It had been some time that she did not think of him, of that short, but sort of interesting encounter. The letter landed on the small table next to her and Lara started to walk up and down the room. Kurtis was someone, who suddenly appeared in her life and turned out to be a fairly interesting opponent. Were they opponents? In a certain way yes, even if they wanted the same. He crossed her and Lara never liked that. Although she had to admit, it was not totally against her liking to feel his hands on her. Even if he only wanted to get her guns. It was exciting, thrilling, sensual. In every sense. Lara bit her lips at the memory.

"Damn it" – she blurted out shaking her head. But she was smiling. Instinctively she looked at the clock on the wall, she still had two hours to decide. However, deep inside she knew that she wanted to see him again. For whatever reason. Because of the slight tickle she felt on thinking of him, how he touched her there in the museum. Or maybe just out of curiosity. She breathed in deeply, but did not want to admit the truth to herself either.

...

After hesitating for a short while Lara raised her hand to knock the door. The place was a little creepy, but she did not expect anything else from Kurtis. The man just seemed to love this kind of places. Why he felt good when things were almost collapsing around him, she did not understand. It was not her taste, but now there was no way back. Curiosity – she repeated again and again. _Sure, come on girl… admit it that you find him exciting_. Ever since that day she could not completely forget about those blue eyes. Her hand stopped in the midair for a moment, but then she decided to knock anyway. Knowing she was too early, Lara was not sure that he would be there at all. She was absentmindedly playing with the button of her jeans when the door opened. Lara glanced up and there he was standing. Loosely leaning against the door, with that cocky look on his face. As if surprised to see her there. As if it had not been him asking her to come.

"Hi there" – he blurted out finally, looking at her like at a ghost.

"Can I come in?" – Lara raised an eyebrow at him wondering for a moment what kind of a game he was playing with her.

"Yeah… sure" – he stepped aside still staring at her in amazement. His look wandered down on her figure, measuring her openly. As she walked in, his eyes followed her, resting on her ass. It was his turn to raise a brow. Wow.. he thought to himself.

"Am I too early?" – Lara asked seeing his slight confusion.

"No…. I wouldn't say that" – he noted still standing in the open door. Finally he shut the door and came closer to her. "What can I do for you?" – he asked.

"What do you mean? You wanted me to come here" – Lara was slightly surprised to hear his question. She turned to face him.

"Err.. right" – he looked confused. Lara narrowed her eyes feeling a little odd. "How have you been lately?"

"Are you serious now? You sent me that letter after six month to ask me how I am?" – Lara was almost laughing out but something kept her doing so. He looked concentrated. As if trying to figure out her words.

"It has been that long?" – he asked amused.

"Look, Kurtis. What is this?" – Lara stepped towards him, puzzlement on her face. His look on the other side brightened up a bit, smiling even wider now. This was the first time Lara could watch his features from closer. He did not change a bit. _The same easy smile, the same provocative look, the same toned body _– she thought as her glance slipped down to his chest. The same attraction she felt that time. And he knew it, she was sure.

"You look amazing" – he said calmly taking a step reducing the distance between them. For a moment Lara didn't know what to think. Not even being aware of it she wet her lips that made him come even closer.

"I'm not sure that's a good idea" – Lara said and walked over to the window, looking outside to avoid him seeing her face. Inside her she was pretty sure it was a good idea. Or even a great idea.

"Why not? Isn't this why you came here?" – he asked leaning against the wall not far from her. Lara felt his eyes on her. Was it so easy to look through her? To read her mind?

"I don't know why I came here" – she said as she turned to look at him, smiling to see that his eyes were scanning her body, she could almost feel the heat that his look left behind. For a moment there was silence between them.

"I think you know it very well" – he said after a while, but did not move towards her. It was irritating how self-confident he was. More than irritating. "I thought you wouldn't be afraid" – he said visibly enjoying the situation. "Come on, honey. Don't be a coward."

_Honey? Did he just call me honey?_ – Lara thought somehow annoyed. But this annoyance was different. It stirred her, it made her want to show him he could not get away with it. Now it was a duel and she wanted to win. Though she was not sure what winning would mean. This time it was her moving. She stepped over to him, stopping right in front of him as he was casually leaning against the heater at the wall.

"You know…then in Paris… you almost managed to outrun me. Not many people can do this" – she almost whispered watching those blue eyes. He didn't answer, but his hand slipped on her waist drawing her a little bit closer. Just as much that their bodies almost brushed.

"Don't dwell in the past. Now and here is what matters" – he said with a half-smile on his face as Lara put her hand on his chest, slightly arching away to keep herself safe from danger. Being so close to him meant danger and Lara had to admit that she loved danger. What the hell was he waiting for? Why was it so irritating and exciting at the same time that he was only watching her without taking the last step? She tilted her head slightly to look at him and he was holding her gaze.

"Is this really why you wanted to see me?" – she tried for a last time being lost in his eyes.

"Oh definitely" – he said and did not wait any longer. He leaned in and brushed his lips against hers. It had been six long months that this thought was lingering on her mind. How his lips could taste. And now she just wanted more, more of this edge, this roughness. Sweet God, how much she had been longing for this. To feel his touch, to be close to him. She was not even aware of it that she wanted it that much. Only now that she received that letter, he crept into her mind again, and possessed it in a way that it was impossible for her not to react on it.

His hand wandered down her side, pulling her closer, and Lara got lost in his world. She did not try to arch away from him anymore, on the opposite. Her body instinctively answered, and Lara did not even try to hold herself back. It was all natural, as if she had always waited for this moment. His lips started down her neck when suddenly the door flung open. Lara raised her head in surprise, looking absentmindedly over where the noise came from, but then her eyes widened in astonishment. Kurtis was standing in the door, completely frozen in the middle of the move, watching them together as if not believing his eyes.

"What the….?" – her mind shaken, not knowing what to think. "Who the hell are you?" – she blurted out in shock pushing the man away from her. She took a step back just staring at the two men looking exactly the same in horror and confusion.


	2. Chapter 2

**As you all so nicely supported me, here it goes.. the second part of the story. I really hope I manage to surprise you a bit and you don't find it strange what comes now. I was glad to read that some of you were so sure that the second guy would be Karel... hmm... then start reading to find out :)**

**And after this I would really love to hear what you all think :) Have fun!**

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For a moment it came to her mind that she was not seeing well, blinking she tried to clear her mind. But they were still there, both of them.

"What the hell is going on here?" – Lara asked barely audible taking one more step backwards.

Kurtis… better to say the guy who she met first looked very entertained, a cocky smile was sitting on his lips. However, the second Kurtis seemed to be anything else but in good mood. Anger was glittering in his eyes as he looked at his mirror image leaning against the heater again. For a moment time stood still and Lara was just turning her astonished look from one to the other. Then suddenly the newcomer strode towards the other, and Lara knew there would be trouble.

"You bastard…" – Kurtis shouted at the other guy and grabbed his shirt with both hands.

"Hey, calm down. What's your problem?" – he was backing away surprised, putting his hands up meekly, not really understanding what he did wrong.

"I'll tell you in a second what my problem is" – Kurtis snapped raising his right fist in the air.

"How could I have known that she belongs to you?" – the other guy said, still amusement on his face as if not even taking the threat seriously. Kurtis' hand stopped in the mid-air on this statement. Was it embarrassment running over his face? Lara was not sure.

"She does not belong to me" – Kurtis muttered under his breath looking at her for the first time since he stepped in as if only noticing then that Lara was there at all. Then he abruptly let go of him and stepped back trying to control his anger.

"Would you tell me what's happening?" – Lara spoke out in a slightly harsh voice after a few seconds of silence, there were millions of questions swirling on her mind.

Kurtis looked at her once more and pulled out a chair at the simple table standing in the other side of the room.

"Sit down" – he said simply, silence followed. "Please!" – he added after a while. "And you too" – he looked at the other guy. Lara hesitated for a moment, but then walked over to him and sat down. They were all eyeing each other suspiciously for a while, Lara more curious than angry, Kurtis annoyed, the other Kurtis rather relaxed and casual.

"Come on, brother. Tell us the story" – the relaxed one spoke out. Lara raised an eyebrow hearing his comment.

"Brother? You have a brother?" – she asked in amazement. "You never told me."

"We never really talked a lot, did we?" – Kurtis asked back, what made his brother laugh out. "You better shut up" – he snapped at him still furious.

"What? Once she was just standing in the door like this" – he leered at her for a moment. "What would you have done in my shoes?" – he grinned. Kurtis almost jumped up from the chair, but then restrained himself.

"You don't know when to stop, do you?" – he threatened him again.

"How could I have known that it wasn't me she was interested in?" – he teased him further. "What can I do, I just have the look."

"Not if I take care of you" – Kurtis rose a bit again, but Lara put her hand on his arm.

"Guys!" – she interrupted them impatiently. "If you didn't realise, I am sitting here too."

The two men just kept staring daggers at each other for a while still, then one of them eased back on the chair.

"You could have told me maybe that you are not Kurtis when I called you so." – she looked at him with slight reprimand.

"Where would be the fun in that?" – he grinned at her obviously enjoying himself.

"Who are you at all?" – Lara asked finally still wondering how they could look so much the same.

"This is my brother, Kaleb" – Kurtis blurted out finally.

"You told me that already. Are you twins?" – Lara couldn't stop wondering how similar they looked like. She could not tell who was who. It felt like seeing a perfect copy of him. Even their gestures looked the same.

"I didn't know about him until recently either" – Kurtis started explaining, leaning back on the chair, but keeping his eyes on Kaleb.

"And it would have been better for all of us if it had stayed like this" – Kaleb answered ironically, holding his gaze. "Except I wouldn't have got to known you" – he added with a cheeky smile looking at Lara. Lara couldn't stop thinking how similar and still how different the two were. "By the way, who are you, honey?" – Kaleb asked in a malicious tone. Lara frowned at him for a moment, but had no time to answer.

"This is Lady Lara Croft" – Kurtis said emphasising every word.

"Hmm.. impressive" – Kaleb's look wandered down her body again not even caring about his brother's cutting glance. Kurtis lost his patience and jumped up from the chair walking over to the window. For a while none of them spoke again.

"Why am I here, Kurtis?" – Lara asked finally talking to his back.

"Because you have something I need" – he said simply not turning to face them.

"I can definitely confirm that" – Kaleb commented, but only earned a stern look from Lara. Though she still couldn't believe her eyes seeing them together. A quick thought ran through her mind for a moment, but quickly she dismissed it again. _No, this cannot be_ – she pondered.

"You are not telling me everything" – she narrowed her eyes knowing that there was a reason why Kurtis did not want her to see his face.

"There is nothing else you need to know" – Kurtis said. _I cannot drag you into this_.. he though. Lara stood up walking over to him.

"We were in this together, I know that you are planning something" – she stopped a few steps behind him. "Let me help you."

"Give it up, honey. He doesn't even tell me what he is up to" – she heard Kaleb's voice behind her. "I must be a complete fool to have come here, I still don't know how he convinced me" – his voice sounded rather amused though. Lara ignored him calling her honey again.

"Look, Lara. Just give me the chirugai and walk away" – Kurtis turned to face her, with determination in his eyes.

_Well.. that's why he wanted to see me. But why didn't he tell me to bring it right away?_ – Lara was wondering.

"What the hell is a chirugai?" – Kaleb watched them with growing interest, but neither of them reacted on his question as if he wasn't there at all.

Those blue eyes were piercing into her chocolate ones, not being able to turn his gaze away from her. The bell of a church started to ring not far away from them.

"All right, Kurtis. If this is what you want" – Lara gave up. At least she said so. "I give it back to you, it's yours after all."

"Very well" – he looked relieved. Knowing her he wouldn't have thought that it would be so easy to persuade her.

"Then let's go" – Lara said simply.

"What do you mean?" – Kurtis looked at her surprised.

"If you want it, you have to come with me. Obviously I don't carry it with me everywhere."

Kurtis started to loll around, not able to decide what to say.

"What's wrong now?" - Lara stopped and looked around in the ragged room. "Or are you so attached to this place that you don't want to leave it?" – she grimaced slightly glancing at the dirty walls and broken furniture.

"I'm sure I wouldn't have anything against your place" – Kaleb cut in walking over to Lara's side. Now there were the two of them sending Kurtis a questioning look.

"Okay, you won" – he gave in at the end, and meekly followed them out of the room.

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"Hey, not bad at all" – Kaleb called out when they got out of the car in front of Croft Manor, but he didn't even look at the building. His glance was stuck to Lara's bottom as she was walking in front of them.

"Well, guys. Give me five minutes and I get what you want" – she pointed at the sofa in front of the fireplace.

"The place is also nice" – Kaleb smiled at Kurtis, who was just standing stiffly in one place. His brother on the other side couldn't help walking around in astonishment after Lara disappeared at the top of the stairs.

Lara went straight into her bedroom, thoughts swirling in her mind._ I need to find out what he is up to_ – she was pondering. She still remembered the day when he was lying there, blood all around. One day later he just disappeared from the hospital and she had no chance to give his weapon back to him.

She stepped to the drawers hesitating for a short moment. Slowly she opened the second drawer as if not being sure the thing would be still there. But it was. Not that she wouldn't have known it. There was almost no day when she didn't look at it trying to find out how it worked. Her fingers ran over the cold metal, it was a strange feeling. As if the thing was slightly vibrating, living its own life. Lara slowly slipped her fingers in the holes, not taking her eyes off it. This was the only thing connecting her to him. Maybe she would never see him again if he walked out of the door now. Her hand came to a halt in mid-move. In this moment she realised that she did not want to let him go. Suddenly the chirugai stirred in her hand and started to glow orange. Lara looked at it in amazement knowing exactly that Kurtis was there.


	3. Chapter 3

**So, I hope you all got over the fact that Lara was not kissing Karel and did not get disappointed about it :) I thought that would be just far too easy and wanted to have a different solution for you. Hopefully you don't mind that Kurtis is not that unique anymore :) **

**But as you can imagine, he is still unique for Lara :) **

**thanks for your reviews so far, I always like to hear your opinions! Have fun reading!**

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If Lara closed her eyes, they could have been back in Paris. This time she knew it was him, he was the only one who could have known about this, the only one who had ever touched her this way. The chirugai threw a warm orange light on her face as she was holding it in her hand, vibrating ever stronger as he was standing directly behind her. His hand slid down her arm just like then, slowly, excitingly.

"Give it to me" – he whispered in her ear. His voice sent chills down her spine, although she felt the warmth of his body on her back. Lara swallowed silently.

"If you want it, get it from me" – she answered feeling the anticipation vibrating in her, almost as strong as his weapon in her hand. She couldn't see the faint smile on his face.

"Why did you keep it all this time?" – he kept whispering, his hand sliding to her stomach.

"Should I have just thrown it away?" – Lara asked back not doing anything against his touch, though this time there was no gun trained on her.

"Was there no other reason?" – his voice sounded slightly amused, his lips so close to her skin that Lara could almost feel them.

"What other reason would I have?" – she knew exactly what he meant, but did not want to give herself away. Of course there was another reason. First curiosity, then maybe the hope that one day he will show up looking for it. And there he was. Mysterious, thrilling as ever.

"Do you always answer with a question?" – Kurtis teased her, his voice still soft in her ear.

"Depends what you want to know" – she slowly turned to face him, though she knew that looking into those blue eyes was dangerous. Dangerous, but at the same time tempting. She couldn't resist this temptation. As she was turning, his hand moved to the small of her back.

Kurtis didn't say anything, just kept looking at her and Lara was unable to turn her eyes away from him. They were just standing there, the chirugai still in her hand. She felt his breathing quicken a bit, and it was thrilling to know that she had this effect on him.

"How can I thank you for saving it for me?" – he was holding her gaze, slightly tilting his head to the side.

"I guess we can figure out something" – she whispered feeling that attraction that kept her in place, not letting her move away even if she wanted to. However she didn't. Her lips moved just a little closer not being able to decide if she should take the risk. His hand slid down her arm once more till he could feel the cold of the metal she was holding.

"I will think about it" – he said smiling, his lips almost touching hers, but then he slowly, very slowly moved away and Lara felt like exploding from all that inside her that he left behind. She took a deep breath to clear her mind. Interestingly enough Kurtis did not leave, he unhurriedly walked over to the terrace door and step out. Wondering what he was planning Lara followed him.

"Please tell me what you are up to" – she said looking at him from behind. She knew exactly that he was going to do something dangerous, she could feel the tension in him. As if he had come to say goodbye to her in a way.

"I'm going to kill him. I need to put an end to this" – he answered, not turning to look at her.

"Kill who?" – she was wondering. Slowly, she walked over to him, but Kurtis didn't let her look at him. He stepped to the banister and supported his arms on it staring out into the nothingness.

"Karel, who else?" – Lara could hardly hear his voice when he said that.

"You mean he is still alive?" – her eyes widened, not willing to believe what she just heard.

"Yes, this is why I need him" – he pushed the last word and Lara knew exactly that he meant Kaleb. Not wanting to force him to tell her more she simply sat on the banister, trying to look at his face.

"How can you be sure…" – she started, but didn't really know how to phrase it.

"..that he actually is what he appears to be?" – he finished the sentence instead of her.

"Yes" – Lara lowered her head. It actually could have been a nice conversation, light breeze was touching her face and he was there with her. But the topic was anything else but soothing. "Don't you think it could be Karel himself trying to kill you again?"

"I know. But he is not" – Kurtis turned away again and walked back to the wall, casually leaning against it, this time facing her.

"How can you be so sure?" – she did not want to go after him now. Obviously he needed space.

"Because my father told me so" – he said.

"Your father?" – Lara asked back in surprise. "I thought your father was dead."

"He is" – Kurtis said, but looking at her face he knew he needed to explain a bit. "That day, in the hospital. He appeared when I was fighting with death. He gave me the strength to heal myself and told me how to kill Karel for good. Alone I'm not strong enough, but together with my brother we can do it."

"Why did he not tell you this sooner?" – Lara couldn't resist going closer to him again. Jumping down from the railing she took a few steps towards him.

"I don't know, I don't have an answer to everything. My family hid him, so that no one could find him."

"Does he know about all this?" – Lara asked, remembering that Kaleb had no idea what a chirugai was.

"Not really. Not everything."

"And you want to bring him there without telling him? To fight Karel without knowing what awaits him?" – she looked at him in disbelief. There was silence for a few moments.

"You don't need to worry about him, I will bring him back to you in once piece" – he said and Lara could feel the reprimand in his voice.

"Why are you saying this?" – she couldn't help smiling a bit.

"Nothing, forget it."

"You are not jealous, are you?" – she stepped even closer to him.

"Why would I be jealous? You couldn't have known after all" – Lara could see the embarrassment on his face. Her hands slipped to his stomach as she stopped in front of him. Suddenly she felt his muscles twitch.

"Does it still hurt?" – she asked softly, lowering her look to her hand.

"No" – that was all he said, just standing there, not doing anything against her touch.

"You could have died" – her hand slowly raised the shirt over his stomach and her fingers touched the scar. Ever so gently. Running down his skin, along that long line that was still slightly red. Feeling his tense muscles, the warmth of his body.

"There you are" – they both snatched their heads at the same time to the direction of the door where Kaleb appeared with a grin on his face. "I was already wondering where everyone disappeared. Lara pulled her hand away from him, but it was too late. She was sure Kaleb had seen everything he wanted to.

"Right" – she said turning away from Kurtis.

"Yeah, exactly" – he tried to say something, but did not find the words.

"Should I leave you two alone?" – Kaleb grinned even brighter looking at Lara.

"Of course not. I was just telling Kurtis that you should both stay here for a while till you figure out what you want to do next" – she said quickly without even thinking about it.

"That is a good idea, right brother?" – Kaleb said cheerfully. "I definitely like the place. And the company" – he wagged his brows at her. Kurtis looked angry at him, then at angry at her for trapping him in this.

"Right. Exactly what I was planning" – Kurtis said and walked away leaving them alone again.

"Well, I will then show you to your room" – she said to Kaleb at last, not really knowing what else to do.

"I'm sure we will have a great time together" – he answered with a bright smile, following her.


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry that it took me so long to update this story, I was quite behind with everything that I'm doing at the moment. I hope you did not forget about it and will read the next part :) Opinion, review are welcome as always! :)**

**Thanks for everyone who reviews so far! You keep me going!**

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Kurtis was lying on the left side of the double bed, hands under his head, his ankles crossed. No matter how hard he tried, he could not fall asleep. Thinking about the happenings, he was still angry. Angry with Lara, angry with Kaleb. How could he be so damn irritating? How could she find him interesting? But most of all, how could it be that he had the chirugai and he was still there? He could not find the answer to any of these questions. The shadows of the nights started to stir on the ceiling, a storm was coming. Not that he would care. Kurtis closed his eyes for a moment, but it didn't help, the swirling thoughts did not settle in his head. He had not thought of her all this time, trying to concentrate on his own business. However, seeing her again changed a lot. Now it was even more thrilling to touch her than that time in Paris. Not to mention her fingers. He could still feel them on his stomach. Damn it – he hissed silently. This was the worst timing ever. He needed a clear mind to finish what he had started. Lara lingering on his mind did not help it.

Irritably, he sat up and lowered his feet to the ground. Should he go and see her? On the other hand it was middle of night, he couldn't just wake her up saying he needed to talk to her. He lay down again. Trying to regain his peace of mind he closed his eyes again. The orange glow was getting stronger as the chirugai stirred and raised in the air. First very slowly, just spinning, hardly moving forward. It was just levitating in mid-air, slowly turning around its axis. His breathing was settling, a deep, soothing sound in the silence. The chirugai was coming closer to him eventually, it cast a warm light on him revealing the long scar on his stomach again from the darkness that surrounded him. He still did not get completely used to the sight after six month.

His hand reached out, the chirugai slowed down, it stopped spinning. He gently grabbed it, watching it in awe. It had been six month, but it still followed his orders just like on the first day. That was something he could never erase from his mind. Kaleb must be able to do this too – he thought. Maybe Lara was right. He needed to be trained. This time he couldn't rely on luck, he needed to be prepared. Kaleb had to learn how to command the chirugai, Kurtis needed his power to finish off Karel.

He didn't even notice, but she was on his mind again. A few hours ago it was still her hand that held the weapon. As he put it down to the bedside table, he sat up on the bed again. The decision came just as sudden as the lightning flashed in the night sky. His self-confidence lasted for five steps, when he came to the door, he hesitated again. This is madness – he thought again. What do I want to tell her? She must be sleeping anyway – he tried to convince himself turning around again. But then he still grabbed the handle. When he opened the door to a crack, something grabbed his attention. It was only a barely audible noise, but he could hear it. A shadow was passing along the corridor, and suddenly the anger returned in him, stronger than before.

..

Kaleb did not need so much time to decide what he wanted. When darkness covered the whole house, he knew that his time had come. He tasted her and he wanted more. If Kurtis did not want her, then he would. What would it change, they had the same look anyway. He could be like Kurtis, or Lara would realise that it was not Kurtis anyway, who she needed. There was a cocky smile on Kaleb's face when he passed in front of the room where Kurtis slept. It was a competition and he was winning, of that he was sure. In the afternoon, Kurtis had his chance with her, but now it was his time. He sneaked silently along the corridor, knowing that this night would be fun.

..

Lara could not sleep either. Not wanting to toss and turn in the bed, she decided to walk down to the kitchen to drink a tea. Winston had been long sleeping, though she did not need him for this. No matter what others thought of her, she was not so helpless in the kitchen. Her knowledge was at least enough to cook some water. That she would manage for sure. She could not help smiling when she thought of the current situation. Two Kurtis, and still so different. The one cocky, almost arrogant, lose, the other reserved, silent, angry. But the same blue eyes, both of them so damn sexy. She could not understand how she could not see that it was not him. Now that she was thinking about it, it must have been really awkward for Kurtis to have seen her with Kaleb. Shit happens, doesn't it? – she thought grinning, stirring the tea. Putting one elbow on the counter, she supported her chin on it. All was so quiet and peaceful, only a distant thunder disturbed the silence from time to time. She couldn't help comparing the two men. It was a strange feeling that this was the only time she had ever kissed Kurtis.. better to say Kaleb. It made her curious. Would it be the same to kiss him? Would she feel the same thrill? The urge was there in her. The urge to find out. But how would this look to walk to his room in the middle of the night and tell him she wanted to kiss him. Lara giggled at the idea. The only problem was that the thought settled in her mind and wouldn't let go. Staring into space she licked off the small spoon, which was not a very polite gesture, but no one could see her. Winston would have highly disapproved her doing so, but now she didn't care. Her fantasy filled her mind with all kinds of images... naughty images, very tempting images. The light silk of her dressing gown was floating after her when she walked in the dark, with one thing on her mind. She wanted to see Kurtis.

Lara felt like a schoolgirl, secretly sneaking around in the house that actually belonged to her. As if she was doing something forbidden. What she planned was definitely not forbidden, only disapproved. But she was sure, Kurtis would not have anything against it. Else she would find some silly excuse what she wanted from him at the dead of night. She did not need light to find her way, she knew every stone in the manor too well. When the next lightning flashed, anticipation could be seen on her face. Her bare feet made no noise of the floor, she moved as a ghost, almost looked like one too wearing the white gown. At his door she came to a halt, leaning closer she was trying to listen if she could hear any noise. There was dead silence. Barely audibly she knocked on the door, then opened it to a crack when she heard no answer. It creaked silently. Lara stepped in, but needed a second to realise that Kurtis was not lying in his bed. She raised her eyebrows, contemplating shortly where he could have been.

„Kurtis?" – she whispered, but did not really expect an answer. For a moment it ran through her mind that he had left, but then she glimpsed the chirugai next to the bed. He would never leave without that – she thought in relief. Maybe it was better this way. She turned to leave again. On the way back to her room, she was smiling to herself. Afterwards she found her idea rather silly. When she opened her door, the smile disappeared from her face. Kurtis was standing there in front of her window, gazing out watching the storm. The next lightning showed his serious face when he turned around to face her. Lara suddenly did not know what to say.

„What are you doing here?" – she whispered, pulling the dressing gown together on her body.

„I wanted to see you" – Kurtis said without making a move. Lara did not want to tell him, she was coming from his room.

„Did you think about what I said?" – she looked at him asking.

„Yes, you are right" – he said simply and turned away from her again.

„I'm glad to hear this. You can't let him face Karel without knowing what he is doing" – Lara agreed.

„Are you worried about him?" – Kurtis asked without looking at her, his voice a bit harsh.

„Why do you say this again? I thought we already talked about this." – Lara found it annoying that Kurtis mentioned this again.

"Sorry." – he said softly.

"Is this all what you wanted to tell me?" – Lara started towards the bedroom, but Kurtis turned to her when she passed him.

"It was a mistake to come here…" – he started.

"You think so?" – Lara frowned at him, cutting in his words.

"Let me finish…" – he looked at her seriously. "It was a mistake, but I don't regret it." – a faint smile appeared on her face hearing him say this.

"What if you stay here till you are both ready to leave?" – she offered facing him. Outside the storm started to really build up, lightning were flashing so often that they did not need any lamps in the room to see each other.

"Yeah…. whatever you say." – he whispered pulling her closer to him. "I want to enjoy this moment" – he added. How did this happen that whenever she looked into these blue eyes, she forgot everything else around her? The only thought on her mind was that now she would know it. How it was to kiss him. She had enough of courtesy, of waiting. Her hands slipped to his waist and grabbed the hem of his shirt, pulling it over his head. A move of pure want.

Her gaze wondered down his muscular chest, but then her eyes widened in surprise. He looked exciting, tempting, but one thing was missing. The long scar was gone.

"Damn it!" – she exclaimed pushing him away. "How can you do this to me again?" – she recoiled.

"What's wrong, honey?" – Kaleb asked back smiling at her. "I know you want him, and I'm exactly like he." – he stepped closer to her again, and Lara got confused for a moment. It was him talking, it was his body. Except the scar.

Lara hardly noticed the little noise coming from the door. She looked up, and Kurtis was standing there looking at them. Just like the first day. If this was no déjà-vu.


	5. Chapter 5

**I'm slower with this than I thought to be, but I hope it was worth the wait :) Let's see how it goes on and let me know your opinions as always!**

**Those who reviewed: THANKS SO MUCH! It keeps me going to know that you like what I'm doing!**

* * *

Lara found Kurtis in his room, throwing his things into a bag with such force that he did not even hear her coming. She drew in a deep breath before talking.

"Kurtis? What are you doing?" – Lara strode over to him, watching him in surprise.

"What do you think I'm doing?" – he groaned angrily, not even looking at her.

"You want to leave?" – she asked stunned, though she knew it very well what made him do so.

"Obviously I'm not needed here. Maybe this place is not big enough for the three of us" – he grumbled under his breath. Lara tried to grab his arm, but he pulled it away.

"Don't be stupid! You cannot leave now!" – she said irritably. She could not believe he was behaving so childish.

"I know when to leave" – he retorted in a cutting tone, turned to pick up the chirugai from the bedside table.

"Don't you think you are overreacting?" – Lara started to get really angry with him.

"Overreacting?" – he countered still showing his back to her. "I saw you with him… again."

"He tricked me into this… again" – she pushed the last word to echo his, starting to get really fed up with talking to his back. "Would you look at me?"

"You didn't seem to resist too much" – he continued, ignoring her request.

"Oh…you are such an idiot!" – she blurted out when she could not control her annoyance anymore.

"Fine…then I'm also an idiot" – Kurtis finished tossing the last pieces into the bag, and zipped it. "I've been an idiot to have come here."

"Right. Then why don't you think about this for a while?" – Lara grabbed his shoulder to force him to look at her. Before he could even say anything, she pressed her lips on his, putting all her anger into the kiss. It was not the way she planned to kiss him for the first time, but he left her no choice. Kurtis was so surprised by her move that he instinctively answered, deepening the kiss, getting lost in her. Lara then abruptly broke the kiss, pushed him away from her and without a word rushed out of the room, leaving him alone with his swirling thoughts.

...

When Lara descended the stairs in the morning and stepped into the kitchen, she was relieved to see that they were both sitting at the counter, sipping coffee. A cocky smile appeared in the corner of her mouth, but she put on a serious expression when they looked up at her. The tension was so visible that she wanted to laugh out. Like two spoiled children fighting over a toy, she thought enjoying herself. No matter how she tried, she could not be angry with Kaleb. It was definitely an unfair move from him to take advantage of his looks and trick her into kissing him for a second time already, but Lara did not care. If only Kurtis had not seen them though. He had this nerving habit to appear in the worst possible moment and always see things that showed the opposite of what Lara was doing. Why did he never see her pushing Kaleb away? She had to admit that she standing there with his shirt in her hand did not make the best impression for sure. Lara would not have thought that Kurtis took this so seriously. For six months she had not heard of him and suddenly he behaved as if they belonged together. As if he had any rights to be jealous or tell her what she could do. She found it amusing. Men being peevish without any reason were entertaining.

"Good morning, guys" – she went over and sat down opposite them at the counter. "It's a lovely day, isn't it?"

They both murmured something under their breath that she could not understand. Kurtis kept staring at the coffee in front of him, while Kaleb fixed his gaze on her. At least they did not start a fight.

"Seems you two did not have a relaxing night" – she chatted cheerfully. "I did." God, she was having a good time watching them. Yeah, two spoiled children, exactly as she thought. "All right" – she gave up after a while. "I have some errands to take care of" – she rose and looked at them for a last time before putting her mug into the sink. "I wish you a pleasant day. Was nice chatting with you" – she said smiling and ambled out of the kitchen, leaving them alone again. They needed some time to clear things, she thought. Or to kill each other.

...

Kurtis raised the chirugai in his hand and threw it forcefully in the air. It was flying gracefully through Lara's gym, then eventually stabbed into a wooden pole high above them.

"Try to get it back!" – Kurtis said in a harsh voice.

"What? Are you out of your mind? I'm not climbing up there" – Kaleb crossed his arm in front of his chest, looking at him in disbelieve.

"No one said anything about climbing" – he sighed irritably. "Use your mental powers."

"My what?" – Kaleb looked at him like at a madman. Kurtis waved a hand.

"I show you, though I don't know why I'm wasting my time."

"Don't forget it that you wanted me to come with you" – Kaleb reminded him.

"How could I forget? The biggest mistake of my life" – Kurtis mumbled under his breath.

"Hey, I can very well leave again. I don't need this shit" – Kaleb turned and started to walk towards the door.

"Right, just leave. Whatever. I don't need you anyway" – Kurtis rubbed his face, taking two hesitant steps towards the door too, but then he gave up. "I don't need you" – he repeated silently.

Kaleb felt a relief that he said it aloud. _What the hell does he think of himself? He just walks into his life, commands him around and does not even tell him why?_ No, he wouldn't, he decided sternly. The only good thing in the last days was the girl. Yes, she was definitely worth the efforts. But maybe not so much that he wanted to be involved in this madness any longer. He was just crossing the great hall downstairs when Lara stepped in through the front door.

"Hey, honey" – he stopped in the middle, turning towards her.

"Could you maybe just once call me Lara?" – she stopped too, being grateful for a moment that Kaleb did not try to act as Kurtis again.

"That would be just about half as much fun" – he grinned. "Just wanted to say bye to you" – he stepped closer, but did not try to touch her.

"What do you mean? Are you two leaving?" – Lara was more than surprised to hear this.

"Only I'm leaving. I'm fed up" – he said simply, smiling his usual cocky smile.

"Fed up?"

"I thought you would know this expression" – he grinned. "It's been a pleasure to meet you. I mean it."

"Stop being stupid" – Lara blurted out. She grabbed his hand pulling him with her along the corridor. "Come with me!" Kaleb followed more than surprised.

"Kurtis" – Lara stepped into the gym, pulling Kaleb with her. She was a little bit relieved to find him there still. "We need to talk."

Kurtis looked up, grimacing when he saw his brother. "I don't want to talk."

"Yeah, me neither. I'm leaving." – Kaleb answered.

"I hope so" – Kurtis turned away in anger.

"Okay, both of you stop this" – Lara became really angry, she strode over to Kurtis, dragging him to face her. "Do you remember Karel? Do you? The guy who killed your whole family?" – she stared daggers at him. "Do you remember them, who almost killed you too? Who did this to you?" – she yanked up his shirt on his stomach, revealing the scar again. He was holding her gaze, rage glistening in those blue eyes. "But just keep fighting about these stupid, useless things till he finds you and kills both of you. It would be so much easier for me, I wouldn't have to do it myself."

Deadly silence followed her furious words, Kurtis stared at her for a while, then moved his gaze over to his brother, who looked equally startled. None of them said anything.

"So…. how do you move that thing?" – Kaleb asked after a while, looking at the chirugai high above them, slightly amused. Lara raised her eyebrows at Kurtis, who took a deep breath.

"Okay, let's do this" – he rolled his eyes annoyed, giving up resistance for a while.

...

Lara was sitting outside in the garden, watching the sun settle over the horizon. The sky was playing in all kinds of orange, rose and purple, light cast at the rim of the clouds. It was relaxing to just sit in the grass, hugging her knees and thinking about nothing.

"I'm sorry" – someone talked behind her back and she shuddered at the sound, though did not turn to look at him. "I know I behaved like an idiot."

"Really? Stop the presses" – Lara was smiling as she knew he could not see it. He sat down next to her, mirroring her posture.

"I didn't mean to be an asshole to you" – Kurtis looked at her from the corner of his eyes, relieved to see the faint curve of her lips.

"I forgive you if you stop doing it right now" – she kept looking at the clouds creeping closer to them, the darkness slowly swallowing the daylight around them. Kurtis lay down in the soft grass, looking at the first star appearing in the sky getting darker and darker blue.

"I don't know what was wrong with me. I guess you were right"

"In which respect?"

"I was jealous" – he admitted whispering, and Lara's eyes widened in surprise. She would never have expected him to say this. Now she had to turn to face him. "But I had a good excuse to do so" – Kurtis took her hand, pulling her down to the ground next to him.

"And that would be?" – she teased him a bit, enjoying his embarrassment.

"I can't get you out of my mind ever since Paris" – his eyes met hers, and rolled on his side to face her totally.

"I don't run into this mistake once more" – she narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously, pulling up his shirt with a quick move to make sure the scar was there. It made him smile. His hand reached for her, framed her face.

"This is definitely no mistake" – he muttered, his lips touching hers, stealing her breath.

No, it was not, she thought. It just felt so damn good. Lara got lost in his embrace, neither of them caring about the dark clouds gathering above them, promising another ruthless storm.


	6. Chapter 6

**Up we go with the next chapter. Seems that I got into this weekly rhytm. Let's see how it goes on with the three of them after Kurtis and Lara finally found each other. You can imagine it will not be that easy for them... I make sure of it :)**

**Have fun and review as always! Thanks for anyone who sent me a few words! Highly appreciated!**

* * *

Lara raised her hands above her head, sighing dreamily as she was waking up. All was so calm and silent around her, only the rain was drumming on the window sill outside. The storm that was coming the evening before had been raving with fury the whole night, but she hardly noticed it. Her lips curved into a satisfied smile as she contently stretched herself on the bed. The night was full of passion, smoothness, tenderness, oh God how much she needed it. Needed him. It was dreamlike, his touch, his kisses, just as she imagined it. Her hand instinctively moved to the other side of the bed, but he was not there anymore. The sheets still kept the warmth of his body, the scent of his skin was still lingering in the air. Lara opened her eyes in surprise, raising her head she was wondering where he could have been. Grabbing the first piece of clothes from the floor that she found, she pulled it over to walk around the bed. She listened, but heard no noise from the bathroom either.

Then suddenly she saw it, there was a piece of paper lying on the floor, a few lines with handwriting on it. Lara already knew what she would see there without reading it, but she still raised it.

_Lara, _

_I'm sorry I didn't say bye to you personally, but you need to understand that I have to do what I'm destined to do. I wish we had more time together, but it's better this way. For you, too. Don't try to find me. And most of all, don't hate me. Please. _

_Kurtis_

For a moment Lara didn't know what to feel, her eyes narrowed as she read the lines again. Suddenly she crumpled up the paper, her hand clenched.

"Damn idiot" – she hissed silently. "Why do all men think that they can solve every problem alone?" – she was thinking out loud. "Don't hate me… easy to ask."

However she didn't hate him, there was worry in her, anxiety, concern, strain, kind of a tension she hadn't felt for ages. She was just staring blank, still holding the letter in her hands. Where the hell could he be? How could she help him if he didn't let her? How the hell could she find him? All she could think of was that he would get himself killed, just like he almost did last time. And not only himself, but Kaleb as well. There was no need to look, Lara knew that he was gone too. There was an urge rising in her, to do something, to start looking for them, to simply not just stand there, but she had no idea where to start. He left no clue behind where they had gone, he never talked about his plans. Kill Karel.. that's all she knew and that was exactly what scared her so much. Rubbing her temples she tried to think. Not having any better idea, she ran down the stairs to find Winston.

"Winston, do you know where Kurtis had gone?" – she asked without even saying good morning.

"I am utterly sorry, Lady Croft, but he did not share his plans with me" – Winston looked surprised.

"When did they leave?" – Lara looked stressed, she was nervously wiggling her fingers as she talked.

"Hours ago, it was still dark outside" – he answered, and Lara just left him there without saying anything. She ran to the door, flung it open, she didn't even know why.

"Oh God" – she exclaimed as she glimpsed the body on the ground a few meters away. Without thinking she rushed over to him, not caring about the rain, about only wearing a long shirt and no shoes. He was lying there, face down, clothes ripped, stained with blood. "Kurtis!" – she tried to turn him around gently. "Wake up!" – with trembling fingers she tried for the pulse, and was relieved to feel that it was there. Wiping off the mud from his face, she held him close, checking for injuries. "Winston, help me!" – she turned her head, and together with her butler they carried him into the house. Kurtis groaned silently as they moved his body. "Let's bring him to my bedroom" – she said not even trying to hide her worries.

"We need to call a doctor" – Winston uttered anxiously.

"No, not for the moment. Let me take care of him. We'll see about the doctor later" – Lara was worried a doctor would find something strange about Kurtis and his healing powers. "Bring me a first-aid kit, towels and warm water please" – Lara said after they laid him on the bed. He looked so wrecked, his body trembled with cold in the wet clothes.

"Can I help you somehow?" – Winston asked when he returned with the things Lara asked for.

"No, just leave us please" – she whispered, and the butler backed out of the room. There were thousands of questions swirling in her head, but she knew it was not the time to ask them. It was not the time be angry with him, this would come later, when he felt better. Now it was the time to care for him.

"Kurtis, talk to me" – she tried, but he was not completely conscious, only muttering incomprehensible words. Lara pulled off his wet shirt, throwing it on the floor next to the bed, followed by the trousers. There were cuts on his arm, a deep one on his stomach. Almost like that time, but now it was stretching horizontally, looking very nasty. God – Lara thought seeing it. Taking a towel she tried to dry him, to stop the bleeding. It was quickly soaked with blood. Damn – she thought taking another one from the pile, pushing it on the cut strongly. Kurtis groaned as he felt the pain running through him at her touch. The ache must have waken him, his hand grabbed Lara's wrist that was holding the towel.

"Goddamnit" – he hissed through his teeth, squeezing his jaw.

"Look at me" – hope appeared in her eyes, Lara knew that if he came to his senses, he would be able to help her. She needed his powers to stop the bleeding. She sat next to him on the bed, watching anxiously as he tried to open his eyes. It was almost devastating to see him like this, after all what happened between them last night. The hand that now clasped hers tightly had been stroking so gently just a few hours ago, the mouth that now hissed in pain had been kissing her so passionately.

Kurtis roared in anger and pain, Lara shuddered at the sound that crept into her mind, under her skin. "Shh.." – she tried to calm him, pushing her hand on his forehead. "You need to concentrate, help me" – she whispered, holding him down as he tried to sit up. But he did not seem to listen to her. Lara felt pain as his hand clasped her wrist even tighter, but did not say anything.

"I need to go" – he grasped as he tried to move and Lara felt really helpless. Kurtis tipped his head back as he was fighting with the ache inside him, and Lara could only know how bad he felt by his grip on her arm. She couldn't help moaning silently when he almost crashed her bones.

"Please" – she hissed as she could hardly talk without crying out in pain. "You did this once…. do it again."

It was a terrible morning, hours of him fighting with pain and her watching him suffer, but at lunch time it started to get better. The sweat on his forehead disappeared, his body calmed down and he was breathing more smoothly. Lara slowly raised her head when she realised that he was awake. There was a link between them now, she had been with him in the worst. She reached over and gently stroked his hair out of face, Kurtis opened his eyes to look at her.

"Hey" – Lara said softly. "I need to look at your stomach." – she grabbed the first-aid kit after he nodded and moved the towel away. It still looked nasty. No matter how carefully she tried to use the antiseptic, his muscles twitched and he grabbed her hand again, pulling it away from his skin.

"I don't need that" – he groaned, breathing heavily. When he released her wrist again, he noticed the dark spots on it. A few seconds were needed till he realised it had been him doing that to her. "Oh God, I'm so sorry" – he whispered, looking away from her.

"Don't think about it" – Lara smiled at him for a moment, but her face went quickly serious again. "Where is Kaleb?"

"Karel has him" – he said silently, but there was rage in his voice.

"How…?" – it was all she could say. She felt reprimand rising inside her, she needed to control herself not to start blaming him for being so reckless.

"He has the chirugai too" – Kurtis said simply without looking at her.

"God, Kurtis" – Lara climbed out of the bed, walked over to the window as this was the only way she could restrain herself. When she turned back again in a few seconds, his eyes were closed, focusing all his energy in a way that even she could feel his power. If she had not seen it with her own eyes, she wouldn't have believed it. The blood on his stomach began to dry, the cut slowly closed and all that was left of it after a few minutes was a dark red scar, similar to the previous one. For a moment she could not say anything. "Amazing" – she blurted out after a while still not being able to take her eyes off his stomach.

"It's not perfect yet, but it'll do" – Kurtis drew in a deep breath and tried to stand up. Still feeling a bit dizzy, he struggled to walk over to Lara. "Thanks for your help" – he said, touching her face with his lips. "But now I need to go and finish off what I started."

"Yes, you are right" – Lara agreed. "Only this time I won't let you do it alone."


	7. Chapter 7

"What are you talking about?" – Kurtis looked at her in a way that Lara almost laughed out. "I don't let you come with me."

"And I don't think this is something we're going to argue about" – Lara stepped away from him, and started towards her weapon cabinet. "We can do it the easy way and you just accept that I'm coming, or the hard way and I'm just going to follow you. But either way, you won't get rid of me this time."

Kurtis was still standing there, looking at her in amazement, as if not believing his ears. "I don't think that's a good idea."

"I don't care what you think" – there was determination in her voice as she was packing all kinds of guns in a bag. "What chances do you have against Karel all alone, without the chirugai?"

"What chances do you have with these guns?" – he stepped closer to her, getting more and more irritated.

"Let's not forget who walked away from the Strahov without a scratch after all" – Lara answered loosely.

"You were damn lucky, but don't try your luck any longer" – Kurtis grabbed the bag from her hand, but Lara didn't let go. They were just standing there for a moment, both holding the bag, fighting a silent battle. Then Kurtis gave up, a deep sigh leaving his mouth. "Can't you see I don't want you to get hurt?"- his eyes softened, the anger was gone.

"Can't you see I feel the same way for you?" – she held his gaze, only whispering.

"Okay" – he said silently, surrendering at last. "But you need to do exactly as I tell you. No unnecessary braveries" – he looked at her waiting for a confirmation.

"Do you know me like that?" – Lara laughed lightly, with an innocent look on her face.

"That's what I'm afraid of" – Kurtis sighed and followed her out of the room.

...

"We need to act quickly" – Lara was still collecting equipment from her tech room. "What do we know at the moment?"

"I know where he is. What else do we need to know?" – Kurtis sat down in a big chair, watching her curiously as she was running up and down in front of him.

"Are you sure he is going to sit there and wait for you to return? Where is this place?" – Lara was leaning over the keyboard of a computer, waiting for him to answer so that she could check out the coordinates before they left.

"He won't go anywhere, I know it. Karel wants me dead and now he has everything in his hands. Why would he move?"

"Good point. So where is he?" – her hands were already on the keyboard, eagerly waiting, but Kurtis only stood up and walked over to her.

"Lara" – he took her hand. "We don't need computers. I know where he is, I know what he wants."

"You are right" – she agreed. "We shouldn't waste any more time."

...

It was only a half-hour drive when Lara turned to the right and her Land Rover rolled up on a narrow little road leading to an old factory building. The rain had almost stopped, but still thick grey clouds covered the sky. Looking at the building hiding under them, it made an even more desperate impression. One part of it was falling apart, windows dark and broken, the wind was blowing through them as if the building was sighing. The tiles must have been red once, now they were all grey with dirt, just like the end of the single chimney rising up to the sky.

"Nice place" – she uttered, looking at the building. It made her shudder against her will. "Where should I stop the car?" – she looked at him questioningly.

"It doesn't matter" – Kurtis answered without even looking at her. "He knows that I'm here, I can feel it."

"So that was it with the surprise effect" – she mused, driving the car to the other end of the parking lot.

"Listen, I go in and you wait…" – Kurtis started, but Lara did not let him continue.

"I won't wait here and see what happens. Forget it" – she cut into his words angrily.

"Would you let me finish? Why do you always have to know everything better?" – he looked at her in reprimand and Lara fell silent. "Now that's better." – he smiled faintly, although he did not feel like. "What I wanted to say is that I will find Karel and keep him busy, while you sneak in and try to find Kaleb." – he continued and Lara nodded in agreement. "Give me a few minutes, then start towards the north end. I think he keeps him somewhere there. I can feel his power." – Kurtis opened the door and wanted to get out, but Lara grabbed his hand.

"Be careful. Please" – she looked at him, worry in her eyes.

"You know I will. And you have to know I haven't regretted anything. About you and me." – his eyes scanned her face as if he tried to remember her, then he pulled her to him, kissing her hard, savouring her maybe for the last time. Then he abruptly jumped out of the car, leaving her alone without even looking back.

...

Lara took her bag, her hands slid to her weapons on her side. Even though she knew she could not hurt Karel with them, she still felt safer knowing they were on their places. She tried not to think of what Kurtis was doing, she needed to concentrate on her task. Finding Kaleb was crucial if they wanted to defeat the enemy.

When she found a door at the end of the building, she kicked it in trying to make as little noise as possible. Inside the factory looked at least as despairing as from outside. The machines that once must have made a huge noise, were standing still, left alone, slowly falling apart as time left its cruel traces behind. The floor was all covered by dust, dirt and feathers of pigeons that were sitting high on the roof structure making eerie sounds. Rain was getting in through the holes of the roof, leaving the air humid and wet.

Lara looked around carefully, searching for any sign Kaleb could be around. There was a metallic echo breaking the silence as she stepped on the stairs leading up to the second floor. Lara froze when a pigeon flew up, wings flapping in the air. She had to hurry up if she wanted Kurtis to have a chance. Keeping her gun low, she slowly ascended, her eyes scanning the area for any movement. The metal structure running around the room on the second floor had no solid surface, she could not see any traces on it that would have indicated anyone had ever been here in the last days. After hesitating for a moment which way to go, she turned right at the top of the stairs. The wind was now blowing forcefully against the windows, one wing flew open, the glass broke, the pieces crashing down to the floor. There was nothing around where Kaleb could have been. Lara looked up, there were two more floors above her head, on the third floor doors that could have been offices. She did not want to risk calling out his name, so she decided to continue that way, keeping her eyes on the doors. Moving silently, without making a noise she was getting closer. Cautiously she stopped for a moment when the metal structure creaked under her, but there was no further sign it would not take her weight. The pigeons all but purred, making Lara raise her head once more to look at them.

She came up to the first door, reached for the knob that opened it. For a moment she was hesitating if she should rather kick it open, but she dismissed the idea. So she slowly turned the knob, ready to strike if necessary. The door creaked open, dust whirling up as the wind found its way through. Lara held her hand in front of her eyes, training her gun at the empty room. There was no one in there.

As she opened the second door, suddenly the big, scared green eyes of a black cat looked back at her. For a moment the animal could not decide what to do, but then it jumped up to the top of a cupboard with one smooth move. Lara lowered her gun in relief.

At the third door Lara did not have to think, she knew it would be the one, although could not explain why. She simply felt it. The infamous sixth sense. The door opened so slowly that Lara thought it would drive her crazy. Her gun trained, all her nerves tensed. And there he was, his arms tied to the wall between the two windows, stretched out like Jesus on the cross. His head fell to the side, his mouth covered with a thick grey tape.

Kaleb slowly raised his head, moaning softly at the move. His eyes widened in surprise when he glimpsed her standing in the door. All Lara could see was that he was desperately trying to say something, his words only angry groans coming through the tape she could not understand.


	8. Chapter 8

**It took me ages to update this story, sorry about that. I had a terrible writer's block on this one and I've been busy with other projects as well. I hope you will like the continuation though. Let me know what you think as always! Have fun and I try to update faster this time :)**

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It was the strangest view ever, and Lara froze in mid-move, looking at Kaleb in surprise. What the hell was he trying to tell her? She attempted to take a step towards him, but he started to shake his head even wilder, pointing at something behind the door with his eyes, humming even louder. As much as he tried to free himself, he didn't manage. Lara slowly closed the door behind her and then she saw the little red numbers glowing on a drawer. God, she thought stunned, watching them counting back as the seconds elapsed. It must have been her releasing the countdown by opening the door, and now there was less than five minutes left to do something. She was sure the amount of C4 was enough to blow away all three rooms at the same time without leaving anyone alive, who was in the proximity.

She jumped over to Kaleb, and ripped the tape off his mouth that made him groan out.

"Jesus, Lara. You need to get out of here, now!" – he said hurriedly, right after drawing in a deep breath.

"I'm glad to see you, too" – she smiled, not letting the situation come to her and steal her self-confidence. "And thanks for not calling me honey once in a while" – her voice was light, not showing how worried she really was.

"You can't help me, save yourself at least" – Kaleb was wondering himself why he said that, he had never been kind of a hero.

"There is at least something you two resemble" – she kept smiling lightly. "You don't want to let me help you."

"You can't do anything against these chains, they are too thick. You still have time to run" – he glanced over to the clock, there were still three minutes left.

"I can see that you don't know me too well yet" – Lara continued, measuring the possibilities. "Just leave it to me" – she stepped back, raising her gun. "Now close your eyes and turn your head away as much as you can" – she said narrowing her eyes as she was concentrating on the target. The shots were coming fast as lightning, not even two seconds needed for her to change her target to his other hand. And they were all accurate, deadly accurate.

As the bullets hit the metal, Kaleb heard that squeaky sound, felt the heat touching his face, those little fragments flying around in the air. His right arm was released, then his left, and he dropped to his knees, not feeling enough strength in him to stand. It was hours he had spent in this awkward position before Lara found him.

"Come on, we have to go" – Lara tried to lift him from the floor, but Kaleb was quite weak. "Get yourself together, you need to help me!"

...

The explosion was mind-blowing. The whole place was shaking in horror, the windows broke into millions of fragments. The old building was screaming in pain, dust filling up the air as cracks appeared high on the walls. Kurtis almost lost his balance, he struggled to stay on his feet. A sudden fear ran through him when he realised what happened. It never actually came to his mind that Lara could get into danger. That was exactly why he had sent her to find Kaleb. He was sure that he could deal with Karel in the meantime. It was essential to keep her out of trouble. He could not bear losing her. His own fate did not matter, but she had to live. Lara had to live. In this moment he knew he would sacrifice anything for her.

"Seems to me your friends won't bother us any longer" – he heard Karel's sardonic voice. Karel just stood there in front of him, watching him with a wicked grin. He was satisfied. He knew Kurtis would bring the woman, and she walked right into the trap he prepared for her so carefully. Two birds with one stone, not bad, he thought pleased.

Kurtis roared in anger and pain, pulling out his gun he fired, emptying the whole magazine in rapid succession.

„Go to hell" – he shouted desperately. With one quick, fluent move of his arm Karel released an energy field, glowing all green. The bullets stopped in front of him, floating in the air like little soldiers waiting for command. His laughter was nerve-wrecking.

„You don't think you can stop me with your ridiculous weapon, do you?" – he kept laughing, making Kurtis boil in rage, his blood was simmering right below his skin. The little pieces of metal landed on the floor with silent clicks. The cold wind ran through the building, blowing into the long coat that covered Karel's tall body. The black stuff was flying around him like evil wings.

Suddenly Karel moved forward, sending the green flash towards Kurtis, who flew back helplessly, landing in some debris with loud groans. His injuries started to pound heavily, pain running through his system. Pressing his hand to his side, he tried to climb up to his feet again, but struggled to do so.

„This was a pitiful try" – Karel walked over to him, towering over him, merciless expression on his face. His eyes were glinting coldly, no emotions in them. The silence was almost disturbing, as if indicating that the battle was over and lost.

„You can't stop me" – Kurtis groaned out loud, every move causing pain.

„Oh I think I already did" – Karel stated and turned around as if Kurtis did not mean any danger to him anymore. „This" – he held the chirugai high in the air – „is this only thing that could have stopped me, but now it's mine" – laughed out, though there was no warmness in the laughter, only cold speculation.

Kurtis' eyes narrowed in rage when he glimpsed the weapon in his hands. His muscles tensed as he remembered how Lara held it in her hands. It hurt him like no other physical pain that he would not ever see her again. Anger was glowing in his eyes that gave him strength he never imagined to have in him. There was despair in him about losing her, but he did not let it take control of him. Not yet. He wanted revenge, he wanted to cause Karel pain, to make him suffer for everything he had ever done to him. Grief would come, it would come ruthlessly. It would be bitter, painful and probably take his sanity, but not now. Not yet.

Collecting all his strength he concentrated on one thing. The chirugai. The weapon stirred, the fain orange light glowed up. Karel raised his head and turned to face him again.

„Impressive" – he grinned maliciously. „It's really amazing how you don't know when you've lost" – his laughter was cold, echoing between the empty walls. „Give up, buddy. It's over."

„It's not over till I can breath" – Kurtis blurted out, holding his gaze steadily.

„That's only a temporary state of yours" – Karel smiled coldly.

„Go to hell" – Kurtis exclaimed angrily.

„I think you've said that already" – Karel stepped closer. „It's such an irony of life that I have the chance to kill you with your own weapon."

Kurtis closed his eyes, sending all his energies out. The chirugai glowed orange again, shaking in Karel's hand, but it could not break free. Karel sent another green flash towards Kurtis, hitting him hard in the stomach, making him cough and spit blood. All air was pressed out of his lungs, Kurtis was gasping for air.

„I appreciate your will, but I'm tired of it" – Karel sent him a disdainful look. „Your time is over" – his cold voice filled the room as thunder, raising the chirugai over his head to strike down.


	9. Chapter 9

**Hi folks, only a shorter chapter this time. I didn't want to put it together with the big battle. I hope you like it anyway :)**

**Any reviews are welcome!**

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"Bloody fantastic" – Lara growled softly after the explosion blew them meters away from the room where she had found Kaleb. She pushed herself up, only realising at this moment that she was lying on him. Dust, debris and fragments of glass covered them completely. Lara shook her head, trying to get rid of the dirt in her hair.

"I was dreaming about this position, but I have to admit, I imagined it a bit less painful" – he looked at her cockily, but Lara could not be angry with him. There was pain on his face, and she could see that he was only joking to hide his state of mind.

"After this I'm very sure Karel knows we are here. If we are lucky though, he'll think that he managed to kill us" – she rolled to the side, both of them lying on the floor, trying to collect themselves.

"I feel like I'm dead" – he mumbled under his breath.

"Oh come on. This was nothing." – Lara laughed out. "I do this every day before breakfast."

"I'm sorry I have to say this, honey, but you are crazy." – he said still panting.

"I told you to stop calling me honey" – she hit him lightly in the stomach, making him groan.

"Damn it" – he complained. "Be more careful, will you?"

"You deserved it" – Lara sat up, looking at the ruins of the room in front of them. The thin walls crumbled down, it could hardly be seen what this whole mess could have been before. "Jesus" – she marveled at the destruction. It was a miracle that the whole place did not collapse totally. As she moved, the metal structure under them creaked loudly. The sound was highly alerting, the floor was shaking lightly. "What the hell" – she groaned when the whole thing fell a few centimeters, then stopped again with a huge jerk, but they knew it was not holding long anymore. "We got to get out of here" – Lara exclaimed, jumping to her feet.

"Careful" – Kaleb warned her as the walkway started to shake again under their weight. Struggling to keep their balance, they inched forward. The air was wet and heavy from the dust the explosion stirred up, they could hardly breathe. The creaking became louder, eerie sounds filled up the space around them, making them shiver.

"Faster" – Lara shouted when she felt the structure moving under her feet. The end of it was dangerously shaking, crashing down any moment. Kaleb dragged himself forward, trying to forget about the ache in his body. His left leg was roaring in pain. In that moment the other end of the walkway crashed down, Lara pushed Kaleb powerfully forward before she lost her balance. The ground slipped out under her feet as the structure collided. Lara desperately tried to grab something to avoid falling, but for a moment she completely lost her sense of direction. Instinctively she reached out, and her hand clenched around the banister in the very last moment. Her shoulder screamed in agony when her whole weight pulled against it. Sweat gathered on her hand, she felt her grip loosen. "Shit" – she called out frantically when her body bumped against the hard metal walkway that was now hanging vertically in the air, only one end holding it in place, swinging lightly, creaking under her weight. When she looked down, there were three stories of depth under her, a drop she would never survive.

"Lara!" – Kaleb cried out anxiously when she disappeared behind him. He slowly crawled to the end of the ledge and looked down, fear in his eyes. Then he glimpsed her, holding herself with one hand, despair on her face. "Give me your hand" – he lied down, reaching out for her. Lara looked up when she heard him, he could see that all her strength was needed to pull herself up a bit. Her muscles tensed, she struggled, groaned, strained, then finally propped her feet against the metal surface, but it was slippery from the rain. With great difficulty she managed to grab the banister with her other hand as well. "Come on, honey. Try a bit harder" – Kaleb said and Lara got angry, forgetting about her situation for a moment.

"Stop calling me honey" – she hissed through her teeth, her anger giving her strength she would not have believed to have anymore. She reached out and Kaleb caught her wrist firmly. Their eyes met for a moment, irritation in hers, relief in his. He pulled as much as he could until finally Lara landed on the floor next to him. Panting they were lying there, catching their breaths.

"How did you find me at all?" – he asked after a while, not even looking at her and Lara was surprised to hear his question.

"Is this important now? We need to help Kurtis" – she answered. For the first time since they separated, it came to her mind that he was most probably in big danger.

"Kurtis? He is here?" – there was surprise in his voice.

"Of course. Where else would he be?"

"I thought he was gone" – he said softly.

"He wouldn't leave you to your fate. No matter what he said or did before, he worries about you."

"Sure he does" – he said bitterly. "He needs me to kill this guy."

"That's not true. I mean this is not the only reason he came back here." – Lara sat up and took his hand. "You are his only family left" – Kaleb just looked at her for a while, watching her face intently.

"He does matter to you, doesn't he?" – he asked in a soft voice. Lara moved her gaze away from him, smiling in confusion. She did not really think about this too much, but it was time to admit that he was right.

"Yes, he does" – she blushed slightly. It was strange to talk about this exactly with him, who looked just like Kurtis. She could so easily forget about it that it was not him. Just like all those times when Kaleb tricked her into kissing him. However, this time she could see it on his face that he meant when he had said.

"He is a lucky guy" – he added lightly, smiling at her friendly. "Let's go and save my brother's ass then, honey" – he could not miss the chance to nerve her at least a little a bit once more. He knew exactly what was coming, hiding his anxiety behind some jokes felt like just the right thing to do at the moment.

"You are… so… oh, forget it" – Lara waved a hand and took his when he offered to pull her up, smiling his usual cocky smile. "Let's go and beat the hell out of Karel."


	10. Chapter 10

The air was almost vibrating by the tension. The chirugai was held high, but Kurtis did not surrender. He did not give up, bowed his head and showed acceptance to his fate. If he had to die, he would take it with pride in his eyes and strength in his mind. He raised his head, holding Karel's gaze stiffly, whose eyes were flickering with superiority. The chirugai was shaking, fighting against the strange power, but Kurtis was too weak to control it.

"See you in hell" – Karel blurted out and his muscles tensed as he was about to strike down. The wind was blowing ever stronger through the shabby building, his long coat was floating behind him, the wicked smile spread on his face. Finally, the time had come, he thought with satisfaction. His very last enemy would be vanished and then his time would come to take over power he was craving so much.

Pigeons flew up somewhere above his head, but he did not care about it. Filled with outrageous self-confidence he only concentrated on his final revenge. No one could stop him anymore, no one could cross his path, no one could hinder the fulfillment.

Green flash appeared, as if energy was gathering from everywhere around him for one final strike. Kurtis could almost see the little particles in the air flowing into the chirugai that was vibrating even stronger. He held his breath accepting fate, embracing death that awaited him. He wished he had said one thing before he died, but there would be no time or chance for it anymore. Lara would have had to know what he felt for her, even if Kurtis himself was not sure what it was. He had never loved anyone in his life, he had no idea how it felt to love. And now, in the last seconds of his life he could only think of one thing… of one person. One woman.

It was time and he did not mind it. Without her he would not enjoy life anymore, nothing made sense. He met Karel's gaze and saw the madness in it. Just two seconds and it would be all over, he thought. Kurtis still saw the chirugai spinning, but suddenly the green light flickered and faint orange appeared around the metal as if the colors were fighting with each other. The weapon was whirling with incredible speed above Karel's head and he did not seem to be able to control it anymore. Kurtis looked at it in amazement, feeling more determined than ever before. For a moment neither of them knew what happened, there was confusion on Karel's face, hope on Kurtis'.

Then he glimpsed them and he could not believe his eyes. Lara and Kaleb were standing on the walkway on the first floor above Karel, and Kurtis could see the concentration on his brother's face.

"Good Lord" – he grunted. It took him two seconds to grasp what was going on, but then he closed his eyes, sending all his power into the chirugai. The orange light got stronger, chasing away the green and suddenly a huge blast threw them all back as the chirugai broke free. Karel cried out, flying meters back, Kurtis covered his face with his arm when he felt the blow that would have ripped him away if he had not been lying on the floor already.

When she saw Kaleb dropping down helplessly to the ground floor, Lara jumped to her feel, running towards the stairs leading down, but the explosion weakened the structure and it crashed down before she could even step on it. She jumped back with horror on her face when the stairs landed with a crash, but she wanted to use the chance while Karel's attention was elsewhere. Grabbing her guns, she made a running jump, landing hard in the debris, wet mud and dust stuck on her clothes and hair. She trained her guns on Karel while running towards him with a desperate cry.

"Nooo" – Kurtis cried out when he saw Lara getting closer to Karel, who only needed a few seconds to get back to his senses. The wicked smile returned to his face when he raised his arms above his head and the green light appeared again, growing stronger and stronger with every fraction of a second. There was no time to react, no time to prevent, no time to do anything against it. With one move of his hands Karel released the power shield and suddenly a flickering green semi-sphere covered him, closing Lara within.

Horrifying laughter filled with ruined factory, echoing from everywhere. There were no more pigeons that would fly away frightened, even the wind seemed to be scared of Karel. Kurtis watched it with horror as Lara realised her mistake, but it was too late. She was trapped within the shield, all alone with Karel, who gazed at Kurtis with an evil look. Even without words he understood what Karel meant. Kurtis already thought to have lost Lara and now it would have been even more painful to see her die. Devastating. And he could do nothing against it. Nothing. Just stand there and watch Karel play with her, watch her die.

"You son of a bitch" – Kurtis cried out in despair. He held out his arm, the chirugai was flying and landed confidently in his hand. The orange glow returned as if never been fading, spinning and whirling it was flying towards the energy field, but it was unable to break through. With a desperate scream, as if hitting metal, the weapon bounced off the green wall and fell on the floor. Karel laughed even stronger, his voice filling everything, creeping under Kurtis' skin, driving him crazy.

Lara looked around, but found no way out. Still holding her guns, she was slowly stepping to the side, moving her legs carefully, keeping her eyes on Karel, who was only standing there as if not even noticing her. Even if she knew it would make no sense, she pulled the trigger. Again and again, emptying two magazines into the man. For a moment Karel stopped laughing and raised his head towards her.

"You ridiculous human being" – he blurted out in a deep, threatening voice, making a few steps towards Lara, who had nowhere to flee. "It will be so much fun to kill you while he is watching."

Lara's eyes widened, she was searching for Kurtis. When she glimpsed his figure through the green light, their eyes met.

"I'm so sorry" – Lara whispered when she saw that deep sorrow in his look. The blue eyes were dark as never before, despair appearing in them. For a moment everything was calm, silent, there was no laughter, no wind blowing, nothing stirred. There were only the two of them, embraced in a sad moment of finality.

The green blow hit her hard in the stomach and Lara flew back till she crashed into the energy shield that seemed to be hard as a wall. She fell to the ground, clenching her hand on her stomach, grasping for air. Her muscles tensed, pain split through her body and she raised her head collecting all her strength. Their eyes met for a last time, then she collapsed the ground again and did not move anymore.

Kurtis was standing there, not able to take his eyes off her. He reached forwards, his hand grabbing empty air and he dropped to his knees.

"Lara" – he whispered as the realisation hit him so hard that he could not breathe. At once the evil laughter filled the room again, shutting out every other sounds and Kurtis was packed with anger. He thought to have lost him mind, when he heard Karel's voice again. The man who killed the only woman he ever loved. Yes, now he knew it was love, but it was too late. In one second he lost everything that was ever dear to him and he wanted revenge. Mindless, brutal revenge.

Karel stepped forward, out of the green shield and Kurtis looked up to him. His eyes were totally changed, almost the same madness appeared in them, the calm blue turned into a disturbed swirl.

"God knows I'm going to kill you for this" – he hissed in rage, in a hardly audible voice that even made Karel stop. His eyes narrowed and he only had a second to react when the chirugai was flying towards him with a menacing power. Green light flashed, meeting the orange glow of the weapon halfway between them.

Kaleb raised his head, and shook it to come round. For a short moment he had no idea where he was, all he could see was colours around him. Green and orange flickering, sparkling, fighting with each other. And in the middle of everything the shiny metal of his brother's strange weapon. He sat up and glimpsed the two figures with unearthly concentration on their faces. No matter how they tried, neither of them was winning. The weapon was swirling, struggling, but could not get closer to Karel.

Kaleb groaned when he got to his feet and he knew what he had to do. Lara told him before and he already managed once. All it took was concentration. Where could Lara be? He looked around, but could not see her anywhere. Kaleb closed his eyes and thought of the chirugai just as Kurtis told him before. He felt the warmth running through him, collecting in his pores and he knew he would manage. It felt so light, as if flying. He was wondering that he did not float.

Karel's eyes widened when he felt the power getting stronger. He could not break the eye contact, but he knew that something happened. Something unexpected, something that would mean his end. Maybe it was a mistake to underestimate them. It was an unknown feeling. Was this pain? For a moment he could not decide, but then agreed with himself that this must be pain. He snatched his hand to his stomach and felt something strange. Hard metal stabbing out of it, red fluid sticking to his fingers. He dropped to his knees with amazement on his face.

"See you in hell" – were the last words leaving his mouth before everything went dark and his body fell lifeless to the floor.

"God, I can't believe we did it" – Kaleb came up to Kurtis, who was panting for air, feeling weak as never before. "I knew you can't do it without me" – Kaleb started his usual jokes.

"Lara" – Kurtis breathed out, starting to crawl in the direction where she was lying. Kaleb only realised in this moment that she was motionless. He ran to her, raised her body to feel her pulse. When his hands touched her, her heart was beating once more, hardly perceptibly. His power was still vivid, his energy still gathered below his skin. "You need to bring her back" – Kurtis was pleading, crawling closer.

"How do I do that?" – Kaleb was wondering.

"Just give her your strength, just want it to happen" – his voice was weak, hardly audible. "Please." – Kurtis looked at her and he seemed so lost.

Kaleb closed his eyes and pushed his hand on her chest. There was something, he could feel it, but it was not strong enough.

"I can't do it alone" – he said desperately. Kurtis collected his last strength and crawled over.

"Keep doing it" – he coughed when he placed his hand next to his brother's. "Just keep doing it" – he whispered, watching her face with fear. He found himself praying.

Lara grasped for air as if coming to the surface after being several minutes under water. When she opened her eyes though, she thought she had lost her mind. She never would have expected Kurtis looking back at her, even twice. Was she dreaming? It must be a crazy dreams, she decided and closed her eyes again.

"Lara, please stay with me" – she heard a voice and she started to think she was not dreaming. Forcing her eyes open again, she was searching for the source of the voice, and the face was still there in front of her. She reached out to touch it. It felt warm and real. No matter that there were two faces with the same look, two pair of deep blue eyes, she knew exactly it was Kurtis whose face she caressed. She needed no scar to be sure of it. There was that warmth in his gaze, that need, that passion, even if he looked so tired and weak.

"Damnit" – Kaleb said happily when he moved away from them. "Why is it always you, who gets the woman at the end? Isn't this unfair considering I had saved the day?" – but there was no resentment in his voice though when neither of them cared about him. "I already got used to it anyway" – he continued jokingly, ambling a bit farther.

But Kurtis did not care, he only wanted one thing: to keep Lara close to him and never let her go again. It took a few minutes that they were just lying there, trying to understand what was happening. When Kurtis felt stronger again, he raised his head smiling.

"Come on, honey. We got a lot to talk about" – he pulled her to her feet, holding her close. Lara eyed him suspiciously, then with a sudden move, she kicked him in the ankle. "Ouch, what was that for?" – he asked with an innocent smile.

"No one calls me honey, not even you" – Lara nudged him, but Kurtis pulled her to him, and kissed her deep, getting lost in her.

"I'll call you what I want" – he nipped on her lower lip.

"We'll see about that" – Lara smiled wickedly.

"Good Lord, get a room." – Kaleb waved a hand on them and walked out to find the car. Finding a brother may not have been such a bad thing after all.

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**Aother story came to an end. What should I say? It was fun again. Maybe it did not stay on the funny side till the end as I planned it, but I hope that you got your happy-end and everyone is satisfied. **

**The idea came up to bring Lara and Kaleb together at the end, but probably it would have been very unfair to Kurtis who is so much in love with her but is unable to show his emotions. Life is not easy after all :)**

**Thanks so much again for all your motivating reviews that kept me going. Special thanks to lara anne, who gave me the inspiration for this story on the first place. Maybe it did not turn out to be as she imagined it, but I hope she is not disappointed with it :)**

**Thanks to isaalacrymosaa, Najel, LiveLongLoveLife-xDataRulezx and everyone else for the reviews and to all who was reading it. Let's see if I find another idea to bring back cocky Kaleb on the scene :)**

**Coming up next is the sequel to Crossroads...so prepare if you liked the first part! AND OF COURSE KEEP REVIEWING IF YOU LIKED THIS ONE! :)**

**See you next time, folks!**


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